While we - the media and fans - like to harp on the offense's fluidity, or the merits of the 3-4 defense, Belichick is always careful to point out in his press conferences and interviews that there are 3 - yes, count 'em three - phases of a football team.

So when we look at the standings and find the Patriots now 5-2 and tied atop the AFC East (and suddenly reemerging in discussions about the best team in the NFL), there's one group that can stake an undeniable claim to that shared success: Special Teams.

I was in a statistical mood this evening, so here are some stats, courtesy of NFL.com, that illustrate how well this unit is performing:

-- New England is 2nd in the NFL in kick return average (27.2 yards) and just 0.1 yard behind leader Tennessee. This is almost entirely Ellis Hobbs' territory here. With a depleted secondary and his abilities kick-returning, there was a reason I was worried when Hobbs dinged up his shoulder Sunday.

Consider also that Hobbs has yet to break one for a touchdown and how much those back-end, wide-open yards before pay-dirt skew averages upward.

-- On the flip side, when the Patriots do kickoff, Stephen Gostkowski, as we all know, has a big leg. New England is 2nd in the NFL in touchbacks with 12. Only Carolina (with 16), has more, and the Panthers have had 4 more kickoff opportunities in their 8 games.

-- When Gostkowski does not kick it too deep to return, the Patriots are 7th in the NFL in average kickoff return yards allowed, as they surrender just 20.8 yards per return. And while the regular defense has a tendency to be burned by big plays, thus far the special teams defense has not allowed a touchdown.

-- Gostkowski is a power hitter who also hits for average. He is tied for 3rd in the NFL in field goal percentage (16 for 17) among kickers with at least 11 FG attempts. Remind me again why Belichick did not kick that FG in Super Bowl 42? Actually, don't.

-- Using a variety of returners (including Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk), the Patriots are 4th in the NFL in punt return average (13.4 yards). Additionally, the 3 teams ahead of New England have all returned at least 1 punt for a touchdown, which, as I mentioned, drastically skews stats. New Orleans, led by Reggie Bush, has 3 punt return TDs and a ridiculous average of 20.4 yards.